Primo Oval XL

This Is One of the Best Ceramic Grills

The Bottom Line

At one point, there was a flood of Kamado-style grills from various companies on the market. Primo Grill is not one of these companies. Years of experience and hard work have taught them how to make a superior ceramic grill and to offer versatility that no one else has. The Oval XL, the largest of their charcoal grills, is oval in shape and comes with a dividable firebox making indirect grilling quick and easy. There is no other Kamado-style grill on the market that offers this. Add to this a thick ceramic shell, quality construction, and you have one of the best ceramic grills on the market.

Pros

Large ceramic grill

Divided firebox for easy indirect grilling

Quality construction

Large smoker capacity

Can be shut down to snuff out remaining charcoal

Cons

Stand sold separately

Description

400 square inches of primary cooking area that can be boosted to 680 square inches with optional accessory grates

Guide Review - Primo Oval XL

In the years before all these other companies got into the Kamado grill business, if you didn't buy a Big Green Egg you probably bought a Primo Grill. While most of these other companies have been trying to duplicate the Egg and the Egg's success, Primo has stepped out to offer some grills that are truly unique in the market. The Primo Oval XL is that unique Kamado-style grill, and not just because it is oval shaped instead of a round one.

The Primo Oval XL is large. With 400 square inches of primary grilling space, it is one of the largest of the ceramic Kamado grills. The thing that makes it unique, however, is the divided firebox. With the oval shape and the larger design you can split the fire down the middle for direct and indirect grilling space without having to work with a diffuser plate (like the Big Green Egg's plate setter, though diffuser plates are available). If you want to smoke a brisket, simply build the fire on one side, adjust the vents to a low and slow arrangement and put on the brisket. You may need to add additional coals once in a while, but when the brisket comes off, you can open up the vents and hit high temperatures for steaks and burgers. This makes the Primo Oval XL a versatile Kamado and a perfect grill for smoking.

Aside from this, the Primo Oval XL has many of the same features of the Big Green Egg. Cast iron top vent, stainless steel bottom vent, porcelain coated cast iron cooking grates (though Primo's are reversible), and a highly-insulated ceramic body. While Primo doesn't have the size of the distribution that Big Green Egg has, it does have good customer support and a quality product. If you are looking for a larger Kamado, this is the one to look at.